Mini Musicals

Mini Musicals Volume One
Five fabulous short shows. A melodrama, a show for infants, a multi-media musical, a body percussion piece and a Christmas musical. The Melodrama is a hoot. It stars Dinsmore Treadlightly, Lily Pond, Suscatchuwin Swindler, Achilles Awful and Delilah Von Scissors. Oh and your Narrator. Lots of hissing, booing and cheering for the appropriate goodies and baddies. 

Dinsmore Treadlightly is puny, meek and mild but oh how we love him. So too does Lily Pond, our fearless and capable heroine. But the wotten wascals, Suscatchuwin, Archilles and Delilah will stop at nothing. It's a tie-her-to-the-railway twacks finish with a triumph for the goodies. This melodrama is a terrific way to introduce young actors to a fun form of theatre. 

In The Bottom of Your Garden is a gorgeous piece of whimsy ideal for young actors, aged say 5 to 8. The characters are fabulous. Frederick Frizzlefrump Ant, Stretch Worm, Spinnie Winnie Spider, Super-Sonic Snail, Lady Bird, Caterpillar and as many insects as you like. Think of the fun you'll have decorating your performers. The insects sing 

And we do get to know them. They are funny, witty, silly, clever and kind. They solve their problems and finish with their second song about life being a challenge and a triumph. This is a hugely popular mini musical. 

Then there's the multi-media mini musical. It's called Climbing Trees. You need a narrator, some singers and instrumentalists. There are two actors but  they are on the screen. You take slides or a video of the actors climbing a tree in your area. As the "film" unfolds, your musicians perform 16 short songs which tell the story. You'll involve photography, drama, music, outdoor education and more when you stage this different, simple and highly entertaining mini musical. 

The Human Symphony is a winner. It's a body percussion mini musical. A group of young people are despondent. They are short of funds to buy new musical instruments for their band. Someone suggests performing to raise money. But they have no instruments. Not to worry. They form a percussion band using their hands, feet, fingers and thighs. Oh and a few "interesting" vocal sounds as well. Well rehearsed, their showpiece number is brilliant. No "normal" instruments required as you clap, snap and stamp your way through The Human Symphony.

Finally it's time to celebrate Christmas with a modern setting of the nativity called A Modern Christmas. Joseph and Mary arrive at a motel in their broken-down car where the receptionist tells them that all rooms are taken. There are some dignitaries staying at the motel. Mary and Joseph are desperate for accommodation and are offered a garage around the back.  The story is told by a group of modern-day young people who can relate to the modern setting. There are two songs - Christmas Time and Giving. This mini musical is ideal for an end-of-year concert or as part of your Christmas celebrations.

Mini Musicals Volume Two
Ten terrific short musicals with stereo backing tape, music manuscript plus chords plus ideas on getting started and heaps of follow-up activities. The roles are often genderless. Ideal for schools and youth theatre. 

The shows are great. Video Victims has a TV which hypnotises everyone. Friends gather to watch a TV which takes control of their lives. Or is it a practical joke? There's a marvellous tag with which to stun your audiences. 

Write or Wrong stars pencils, pens, crayons and chalk. . All the characters are writing implements and they sing with gusto. 

The puns fly thick and fast. Is it right or write? Whatever, it's loads of fun. Kicked Out is all about girls playing football. An all-female cast where conversation turns to sport and why some games are exclusively male. Why can't the girls join in? 
Nursery Times has well-known characters from nursery rhymes meeting at the unemployment office. Red Riding Hood complains that her job is too dangerous. Jill helps Jack to the counter with a similar complaint. Jack's broken his crown and Jill's had a tumble. Humpdee Dumpdee is upset at the height of the wall and so on. The clerk has a difficult task but manages to sort out everyone's complaint as they sing A New Life. 

Blazing Fables is a riotous cowboy/girl comedy where the women sit at the tables playing cards while the cowboys flit around serving lemonade. There are more corny jokes and over-the-top loonies than you can poke a knitting needle at. The sheriff attends dressmaking classes. "Set 'em up, Joe" is the running gag until Bad Breath Bart hits town. It's a barrel of laughs finishing with the country and western song Wild, Wild West. 

Davy Jones' Locker is set on the bottom of the sea. This nautical mini musical stars Octopus, Dolphin, Sardine, Snapper, Tuna, Shark, Crab and many other fishy folk. The plot swims around a locker belonging to one Davy Jones. Who owns it? Who wants it? What is it used for? As they sing 

Martian Madness involves visitors from you-know-where and when Earthlings land on Mars we're not sure who is the more crazy. The main question seems to be, "Can you buy a Mars Bar on Mars?". Loads of fun and terrific costumes. Surprise Spectacular is a showbiz Busby Berkeley mini musical to get your feet tapping. Two friends wander on to the stage of an old abandoned theatre. It's one friend's birthday and suddenly a spot is turned on and a piano starts playing. The surprise present is a troupe of dancers who sing and dance as a special birthday treat. Runaway Train is really a radio play cum musical with great sound effects. It's the story of a train with many passengers - a parrot, horses, school kids, guard etc. Some of the kids climb aboard the steam locomotive and the train takes off. The guard is furious, the parrot won't shut up, the horses go hoarses while the kids scream. Great percussive and vocal fun. 

Finally there's an opera which lasts about 123 seconds. A two-minute opera. It's all about tragic love arias where the heroine is dying but manages to rip off a 500 bar ditty complete with trills and glissandos. It's called She Always Takes Ages To Die and you need a hero and heroine and of course a company. Brief, very funny and all sung. Clever look at opera too. 

Mini Musicals Volume Three
Another ten sparkling short musicals with a stereo backing tape, script, scores, ideas, etc. Some wonderful settings. Life In A Fridge has all the ingredients of your refrigerator singing and dancing. Delicious Kurt Weill type song with lovely major 7th chords. Join Margarine, Milk, Egg, Cheese etc. and find out if the light goes out in your fridge when you close the door. Duck For Cover has two songs, lots of ducks and quite a few fowl jokes. It's all water off a duck's back and you'll feel a goose when you realise that the saucy goose is the goosey sauce's gander! 

The Beauty Charade is a beauty contest where all the "models" are male. Stars Muscles, Macho, Toughie and Brawn and boy are these models thick. Is beauty only skin deep? And there's a serious side to this fun mini musical as you ponder "Is there any pressure to be part of the latest fashion fad?"

Moggie Mayhem features a cast of cats including, among others, Viscount Schmootling-Twend, T.S., Fluffy and Mozart. Cats and dogs have a remarkable ability to look and behave like their human companion. Or is it the other way round? Do you look or behave like your pet?  Doctor Ha-Ha has an amazing ability to cure patients with slapstick, smiles and laughter. No pills or potions, no needles or knives. Just a joke. Laughter is the best medicine so try a gag or the old slapstick! And SMILE! 

The Family Tree sees a group of trees looking up their ancestors, studying their family trees! Gives genealogy a real going-over. There's even a template for you to look up your own family tree. Phoney Conversations is a humorous look at the trendy world of portable phones. Has a terrific song in 5/4 where the yak yaks and the chatter yaks sing in two parts. 

The Rockin' Royals stars a royal family who become a pop group. They're short of cash and all arranged marriages have failed to bring in the necessary dough. So they form a band and call themselves the Rockin' Royals. Has a punchy old-fashioned rock 'n roll song as well. Percussive Prisoners gives you a great chance to make music as the prisoners communicate with one another by tapping on the bars of their cells. Great too for discussing the work of Amnesty International. You've got four prisoners in different cells each tapping a different rhythm on their bars. Great for reading percussion parts. And The Wrap Rap is a splendid finale, a great way to rap as the entire department store, shoppers and staff let down their hair! Even the store dummies get in on the act. Rap it! 

Special Prices
There are discounts when buying two or more volumes  Mini Musicals Vols. 1, 2 and 3 plus CD [25 mini musicals] is A$110 [US$89.50] .